Steps to Restoring Service
Ice storms and high winds. Tornadoes and blizzards. Electirc Cooperative members have seen them all and with such severe weather comes power outages. Restoring power after a major outage is a BIG JOB that involves much more than simply throwing a switch or removing a tree from a line. the main goal is to restore power safely to the greatest number of members in the shortest time possible. the major cause of outages is damage caused by fallen trees. That's why your electric cooperative has an ongoing right-of-way maintenance program.
This illustration explains how power typically is restored after a major disaster.
During a major outage, other cooperatives send line crews to assist with restoring power.
Step 1. Transmission towers and lines supply power to one or more transmission substations. these lines seldom fail, but they can be damaged by a tornado or strong winds. Tens of thousands of people could be served by one high-voltage transmission line, so if there is damage here it gets attention first.
Step 2. A co-op may have several local distribution substations, each serving thousands of members. When a major outage occurs, the local distribution substations are checked first. A problem here could be caused by faliure in the transmission system supplying the substation. If the problem can be corrected at the substation level, power may be restored to a large number of people.
Step 3. Main distribution supply lines are checked next if the problem cannot be isolated at the substation. These supply lines carry electricity away from the substation to a group of members, such as a housing development. When power is restored at this stage, all members served by this supply line could see the lights come on, as long as there is no problem farther down the line.
Step 4. The final supply lines, called tap lines, carry power to the utility poles or underground transformers outside houses or other buildings. Line crews fix the remaining outages based on restoring service to the greatest number of members.
Step 5. Sometimes, damage will occur on the service line between your house and the transformer on the nearby pole. This can explain why you have no power when your neighbor does. Your cooperative needs to know you have an outage here, so a service crew can repair it.